New Delhi: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Thursday wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann seeking a ban on the screening of Kangana Ranaut’s film Emergency in the state. According to the committee, the film might hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community. However, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa is showing confidence in the state government.
“We have not seen the final film. Censor Board, filmmaker, nor the government—no one showed us the final cut,” an SGPC spokesperson told ThePrint.
“For us, the film is still the one we watched before the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) asked for the cuts.”
Emergency, headlined by actress and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, is set to release tomorrow, 17 January.
It is a biographical political thriller that delves into the life of former prime minister Indira Gandhi. Emergency, directed and co-produced by Ranaut, has been embroiled in controversies after Sikh organisations, including the SGPC and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), accused it of misrepresenting the community and getting facts wrong.
The SGPC spokesperson stated that the committee won’t watch the film in the theatres.
“There is no point now. It was the duty of the censor board or the team to ensure that they make us (a few representatives) watch the final film. If we watch the first show and say it’s not correct, will they take it down?”
The spokesperson also mentioned that SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami not only sent a letter to the Punjab CM but also visited various deputy commissioners requesting them to ban the film in their districts.
“We got the same answer, ‘your request has been sent to the CM’s office, will have to wait for their response’,” he said. “It’s a sensitive matter and can hurt the sentiments of a particular community. We had sent a letter, demanding the film’s ban, to the chief minister as well but haven’t got a response from the government either.”
In the letter, sent to the Punjab CM, Dhami wrote: “….By hiding facts related to attacks on the holiest shrine of the Sikhs, Sri Harmandar Sahib, the top temporal seat, Akal Takht Sahib, and other gurdwaras and the Sikh genocide (of 1984), this movie works to spread venom under an anti-Sikh agenda. So, we again demand a ban on screening this movie in Punjab. If released, we will be forced to strongly protest it.”
A copy of the letter was posted via SGPC’s X account as well.
The spokesperson clarified that ‘protest’ doesn’t always mean ‘danga’ (riots).
“We are standing with the audience of Punjab. We will do silent protest,” he said.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa is confident that Emergency will not hurt the community’s sentiments.
“The government has assured us that there will be nothing objectionable in the film. And, we trust their word,” he said.
Emergency, which draws its name from the 21-month Emergency period imposed by Indira Gandhi from 1975-77, was earlier scheduled to be released on 6 September last year. But, the film did not get clearance from the Censor Board.
Later, the revising committee of the CBFC cleared Ranaut’s film with a U/A certification, after the filmmaker made 13 changes, including cuts, insertions, and modifications.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)
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